The US administration is preparing to build stronger security links with the EU by sending a senior official to Brussels in order to improve counter-terrorism co-ordination, the Financial Times reported. US Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge is planning to install a senior official in Brussels by the end of this year. The US official will generally focus on border security issues and is expected to work closely with the EU's anti-terrorism coordinator Gijs de Vries. Washington is also expected to reappoint a liaison officer at Europol. A liaison officer was appointed shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States but was soon withdrawn. (EUobserver.com)